Star Fallers
The 1st Orbital Drop Regiment, more commonly known as the Star Fallers, are an elite infantry special operations regiment whose main role is to drop in to the battlefield via orbit, either from the fleet or an orbiting space station, behind enemy lines to cut off enemy reinforcements and close in on the front lines and act as shock troops. They operate out of the Special Operations branch of the military, and use Navy ranks. History Origins With the threat of the Travesti growing ever stronger, the Northern Federation began looking for more and more ways to counter the endless tides they could bring to the battlefield, and cut off the never ending tide of reinforcements the Travesti had. While additionally the council believed the training of more paratrooper units would solve this issue, they quickly realized that that risked many of their drop ships and aircraft to be shot down in the sky for these troopers to never make it onto the field. Realizing that they needed a way to cut off enemy reinforcements without risking their atmospheric aircraft, an entirely new concept unit was pushed to the table, and in 105 AF, the 1st Orbital Drop regiment was authorized, and immediately, recruitment, training, and equipment production began. Enlisting the help of naval engineers and physicists, development of an entirely new idea began and a new unit began being formed, but it would take almost an entire year before the unit would be ready to be deployed. Training for both orbital drop and development of the equipment needed for the highly dangerous deployment method proved to be incredibly difficult. Incredibly specialized pods the soldiers could use to drop in had to be designed, tested, and developed before training could even begin, and there was a high causalty rate in the beginning of the project due to unsafe drop methods and a severe lack of proper training. Something needed to be fixed if this unit was ever going to work. Eventually a team of naval software engineers came up with the answer: A new AI system designed to keep their drop pods on course and the soldiers inside safe. Drop pods also began being equipped with pressure equalizers, heat resistors, and velocity trackers to more safely deploy the soldier inside, all of which is controlled by this new AI system specifically designed for use by the drop troops. With these new systems in place and training now being conducted in safer and more regulated means, the unit was eventually able to meet standards and by the end of 105 AF the Star Fallers were fully trained and equipped and ready to be deployed. Training All soldiers belonging to the Star Fallers require an advanced Paratrooping Course as a prerequisite, and any soldier enrolling into the Orbital Drop program are required to take this course if they have not already. Early stages of Orbital Drop training is basic tactics employed by the unit, operational details and protocols, and a basic understanding of the equipment employed by the unit. The first part of training is entirely written tests and classroom reading, and has an 85% success rate amongst candidates. The first physical training they get are computer simluated drops that teach how to properly drop in from orbit and what to do when your drop is off-course or something goes wrong. It also involves more advanced paratrooper courses and drop from higher heights in atmosphere to try to simluate the pressure change on a smaller scale. It also further explores operational details, common missions and goals, and more advanced military tactics the unit might employ, as well as basic special operations training should the candidate not already have it. This course is 50% phyiscal and simulated training and 50% written, and has a 45% success rate. The third and final phase of training is entirely physical and teaches the common tactics in simulated combat scenarios, further paratrooping training, and, last but not least, real world orbital drop training. This part of the training process is incredibly difficult, rigorous, and mentally straining, and the stress can get to many of the soldiers participating. Additionally, it has a high rate of injury and error. Candidates are required to make three successful real world drops from orbit in order to pass selection. The third training phase has only a 10% success rate, and any candidate who is capable of passing it graduates the course and become a member of the Star Fallers. Recruitment Recruitment for the Star Fallers comes predominantly from the paratrooper units of the Army, and most volunteers come from them. However, since the entirety of the service is volunteer, including the Orbital Drop Regiment, any soldier can apply for selection. They consider those soldiers recommended for training by their Commanding Officers first and foremost before moving on to those who simply volunteered, and once recruited troops are shipped to Alatyr to begin training. Equipment IAU-538 "Star Faller" Armour The IAU-538 Infantry Armoured Unit, referred to as "Star Faller" armour, is the standard-issue combat armour for the Orbital Drop Regiment. It was designed specifically for use by the Orbital Drop Regiment, providing moderate protection against small arms fire as well as protection from the environment and the conditions of dropping to surface from orbit. It also comes equipped with a state-of-the-art Heads-Up Display, polarized visor, and several pouches for ammunition, medical supplies, and other equipment. It is made of a lightweight titanium alloy that is very maneuverable and unrestricting. They also come equipped with the DROPCOM AI, an AI system designed to help the Orbital Drop Infantry in combat, and the first infantry model of the Olympiad Shielding System, allowing additional protection. Star Faller CQB Variant.jpg|CQB Variant of the "Star Faller" Armour Star Faller Scout variant.jpg|Scout variant of the "Star Faller" Armour Star Faller Armour.jpg|Standard-Issue "Star Faller" Armour IDP-3124 Orbital Drop Pod The IDP-3124 Orbiatl Drop Pod is a pod designed specifically to transport infantry from obit in either a naval vessel or spaceship to a planet's surface quickly and safely. Its hull is made from a star metal and titanium alloy, allowing it to withstand entering the atmosphere along with an Olympiad Shielding System. It has enough room to hold a soldier relatively comfortably, as well as has spots for all of his weapons on the walls and door. It also has several medical systems in place and the DROPCOM AI to help the soldier should something go wrong with the drop. Once it enters atmosphere at a certain height, a metal, parachute-like tail deploys out of it, slowing its descent enough to safely touchdown. SF Drop Pod.jpg|The IDP-3124 Orbital Drop Pod Olympiad Shielding System The Olympiad Shielding System is a highly advanced hardlight shielding system mostly used by the naval vessels and fighters, as well as some atmospheric aircraft and superheavy vehicles. Prior to the Orbital Drop Regiment, there was no infantry-grade Olympiad Shielding System, and the system was specifically designed to work with the Star Faller armour. The shield generator itself is built right in to to armour, allowing it to easily activate around the armour. While it was originally designed to help the drop troops survive planetfall, it works just as well in combat, shrugging off many shots from small-arms fire before having to be recharged allowing the soldier wearing it plenty of time to find cover. It self recharges, not requiring input from the soldier, in a relatively short amount of time, protecting the soldier again and preventing rounds from even touching the armour. It can get boosted in energy by the DROPCOM AI should it be needed, at the cost of brief loss or weakening of other power systems the armour has. DROPCOM DROPCOM, or DROP COMputer, is a specially-made AI designed to help member of the Orbital Drop Regiment reach their target location successfully and then aid in combat. Each soldier is issued their own personal DROPCOM AI, and can customize it to how it best benefits them. DROPCOM comes equipped on a microchip that plugs both into the drop pod and helmet of the Star Faller armour. In the drop pod, it assists in reaching the designated drop zone accurately and on time, and should something go wrong, assists the soldier in flight correction, finding a safe place to land, or providing medical assistance should the soldier be injured in the drop, as well as several other safety measures such as releasing the cooling liquid should the pod overheat. In the helmet of the Star Faller armour, it provides a live feed to SPECCOM, damage assessment, targeting systems, state-of-the-art enemy detection systems, and operates the Heads Up Display built into the armour itself. Should the soldier fall or become wounded, it provides medical assistance or activates the armour's self destruct protocol if it detects the soldier is KIA. For whatever reason, most members of the Orbital Drop Regiment name their DROPCOM AI, and alter its voice settings. DROPCOM learns to respond to the name its soldier gives them, and can even gain a bit of personality because of it. Weapons The Orbital Drop Regiment uses any and all of the AK Series of weapons that is standard-issue across the entirety of the Northern Federation Military, and will often take different gear depending on the role or mission. As such, the Star Fallers have no standard weapons, and use whatever they need for any given mission or any specific role they are fulfilling. Deployment The Star Fallers are typically deployed in squads deep behind enemy lines to cut off reinforcements and carry out specific objectives. Multiple squads are often deployed to the same battlefield separately to carry out different mission objective before joining up with the other squads deployed to fight together and increase their odds of survival. They always maintain a connection with SPECCOM and receive intel via a live feed thanks to their DROPCOM AI. They are typically deployed in critical locations behind enemy lines to either take vital objectives or cut off enemy reinforcements. For larger, more important engagements, they may be deployed in a platoon, with the entirety of the platoon dropping in to a single area to take an objective or encircle the enemy and cut off reinforcements. Deployments can last anywhere from several hours to several months, depending on the mission. They abide by the standard rules of engagement the Northern Federation has set, though their own judgement is factored in rather liberally, allowing them to bend those rules a little bit. The Star Fallers are a special forces unit, but they do not carry out Black Ops, and so all of their missions are released to the public and the rest of the military. Organization The Orbital Drop Regiment is divided into two divisions, consisting of 10 companies each. Each company contains six platoons, which are divided further into six squads per platoon. In total there are 10,000 soldiers in the Orbital Drop Regiment, each of which put into these two divisions. Category:Factions